I will be 60 in June, and my 1963 TR4 is my second LBC. The first was a
1969 Austin America that did not like traveling beyond the city limits
of Baltimore. It was a fun car to drive, but it always broke down
whenever it got more than 50 miles from the nearest source of
replacement parts. I bought it new for $2,000 and sold it two years
later for $800 with no regrets. I later learned that its automatic
transmission--which lived in the engine sump and used engine oil for
its hydraulics--had an expected lifetime only slightly longer than my
ownership period.
I came close to owning an LBC much earlier, however. My best friend in
high school had an MG Midget in which we would go tearing around the
Michigan countryside. A few years later (1964 maybe) I was working as a
structural ironworker for the summer (sweet job--my dad was in the
union) while attending college. We spotted a frog-eye Sprite in a
used-car lot on our way to a job site, and he asked if I wanted to take
a look at it. Did I! It was in perfect condition, had been hopped up
(two carburetors!), and was about $1,000 if I remember correctly. But
when I sat in it, the top of the windshield frame blocked my vision of
the road ahead (I am a little over six feet tall, but with a long
torso), and I knew this wasn't going to work.
I have been barred from many other sports cars (most recently the Mazda
Miata) for the same reason. German cars, which I worked on
professionally for a number of years, were always comfortable, but most
British and Japanese cars were not designed for someone with my
proportions. I'm not complaining about my height, mind you. But for all
of you 5'11" and under who always wished you were taller, know that you
give up a lot for those last few inches!
Craig Foch
San Luis Obispo, CA
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